The Sincere Convert

1.¹ Sin; 2. Self. Now as a man is broken off from sin by seeing and feeling it, and groaning under the power of it: so is a man broken from himself. For men had rather do any thing than come unto Christ, there is such a deal of self in them; therefore if thou canst not tell the time when thou didst rest in thy duties, and then diddest groan to be delivered from these entanglements, (I mean not from the doing of them, this is familism, and profaneness, but from resting in the bare performance of them,) thou dost rely upon thy duties to this day.

1.¹ Sinne; 2. Selfe. Now as a man is broken off from sinne by seeing and feeling it, and groaning under the power of it: so is a man broken from himselfe. For men had rather doe any thing than come unto Christ, there is such a deale of selfe in them; therefore if thou canst not tell the time when thou didst rest in thy duties, and then diddest groane to be delivered from these intanglements, (I meane not from the doing of them, this is familisme, and prophanenesse, but from resting in the bare performance of them,) thou dost relye upon thy duties to this day.

1. 12 things keep us from Christ.2 things keepe us from Christ.

These rest in duties,¹ that prize the bare performance of Duties wonderfully; for those duties that carry thee out of thy self unto Christ, make thee ⟨p. 248⟩to prize Christ. Now tell me, dost thou glory in thy self? now I am some-body. I was ignorant, forgetful, hard-hearted, now I understand and remember better, and can sorrow for my sins; if thou dost rest here, thy duties never carried thee further than thy self. Dost thou think after that thou hast prayed with some life, now I have done very well, and now thou dost verily think (meaning for thy duties) the Lord will save thee though thou never come to Christ, & sayest as he in another case; now I hope the Lord will do good to me, seeing I have got a Priest into mine house,